


campfire effects

by lagatos



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alcohol, Balcony AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-14
Updated: 2015-09-14
Packaged: 2018-04-20 17:00:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4795247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lagatos/pseuds/lagatos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"my new neighbor shares my balcony and we keep running into each other outside" au, where Bokuto moves into the apartment next door and Akaashi falls in love with the neighbor that always climbs over his railing</p>
            </blockquote>





	campfire effects

**Author's Note:**

> the campfire effect is real and it's the most peaceful thing in the world

 “Food’s ready.”

            Akaashi sat up straighter on the balcony, turning around to see Kuroo leaning out the window, his form cutting off the light from inside, a shadow falling across Akaashi’s face.

            “Okay.” Akaashi leaned back on his heels, blinking up at Kuroo. Around him, the crickets sounded in the dusk, loud in the late August heat. “I’ll be right in.”

            “If you stay out too long I think the crickets are gonna team up to start eating you,” Kuroo said, laughing before sliding the window shut.

Akaashi sat back against the wall, bringing his knees to his chest as he looked out across the road, cars passing five stories below him. He could hear Oikawa’s voice muffled through his window, carrying through the thin walls of his apartment. Around him, the sun had just set, everything glowing vaguely blue in the dusk. A gust of wind blew and Akaashi hugged his knees closer to his chest, shivering slightly in the end-of-summer chill.

            “They don’t really bite, do they?”

            Akaashi started, taking in a breath at the closeness of the voice. He looked down at the street, but nobody was within site that far down. Akaashi shook his head, thinking nobody would sound that close from so far away anyway.

            Somebody laughed to his right and Akaashi looked over, a figure stirring on the balcony next to his. They sat up from their position lying flat on their back, previously hidden behind a row of potted plants. “I didn’t think crickets bit people.”

            “What?” Akaashi blinked in the growing darkness, just making out a face with wide eyes and an even wider grin looking back at him. “No, crickets don’t bite.”

            “Good.” The figure let out a breath, jokingly wiping a hand across his brow. “I would have been a goner.”

            Akaashi sat up straighter, peeking behind the figure to see the apartment next to his all lit up, spilling squares of yellow light across the night where there were yet no curtains or shades. When Akaashi had gone to work this morning, the apartment next to his had still been empty, the previous renter having left two weeks ago. Whoever his new neighbor was had moved in quickly, Akaashi thought. He hadn’t even seen any boxes or moving vans coming home from work that day.

            “I just moved in, by the way,” the figure said, taking Akaashi’s startled silence as an invitation. He stood up, leaning against the balcony railing next to Akaashi’s, his grin more apparent this close. “My name’s Bokuto.”

            Akaashi pressed his back against the weathered side of his apartment, taking a breath before standing up as well. “Akaashi.”

            “Cool.” Bokuto stood there, drumming his fingers on the balcony railing, still giving Akaashi that big grin. “I guess this means we’re neighbors?”

            “ _Akaashi_ -chan!”

            Akaashi’s bedroom window slid open, Oikawa sticking his head out into the night. “The food’s getting cold. I think Iwa-chan is going to start gnawing on furniture.”

            “Okay.” Akaashi gaze flicked to Bokuto, who still stood watching the exchange. “I’m coming. Leave the window open.”

            “Good.” Oikawa pulled his head back into the apartment. “Did you hear that, Iwa-chan?” His voice floated farther away, his footsteps padding down the hallway to Akaashi’s living room. “Now you’ll get to taste my shining cooking skills, huh?”

            Akaashi put a hand to the windowsill, turning to give Bokuto a small smile. He wondered if he could see it in the growing darkness. “Neighbors,” he said, his fingertips trailing across the glass of the window. He let the word settle around his tongue, glancing at the flowerpots lined haphazardly at Bokuto’s feet. “Nice to meet you.”

            Bokuto smiled, giving him a wave as Akaashi stuck one foot back inside his apartment. “Enjoy the food!”

            Akaashi nodded, ducking back inside his window. His bed sat directly underneath it, his sheets rumpled from Kuroo and Oikawa leaning on it, and Akaashi bounced slightly on the mattress as he climbed in, sliding the window shut behind him. He paused for a moment, the outside completely erased in the reflection of the glass, the night looking suddenly darker from the brightness of his room.

            “Akaashi! Come on!”

            He let his hand trail across his white curtains, hesitating for a moment before leaving them open, standing up to shut off his light, looking back once as he headed for the voices talking in his living room.

           

 

            ***

 

           

             “I don’t know about the episode last night. It just felt like filler.”

            Akaashi grabbed the heel of his sneaker, pulling his foot up behind him to stretch out his leg as he glanced at Kuroo sitting on the sidewalk. They were outside their apartment complex, running shoes on as they stretched for their warmup jog to the gym, enjoying the last few warm days of summer before the leaves started turning.

            “And not even very good filler,” Kuroo added, leaning forward to grab his heel stretched out in front of him. “I didn’t care about the characters.”

            Akaashi made a noncommittal noise, looking up at the apartments above them. He could pick out his own on the top floor, a red towel drying over the balcony railing, the rusted bars running from his bedroom to his kitchen window. Each apartment sported an identical balcony, although Akaashi preferred the way he could look up at the sky from his own. Beside his apartment, he could just make out the scattered flower pots of his new neighbor’s on the balcony, a half-put together hammock leaning against the railing.

            “Akaashi? What did you think?”

            “It was alright,” he said, putting his foot back down on the sidewalk, stretching his arm above his head for a moment as Kuroo sighed loudly from his side.

Akaashi had been handed down a widescreen TV the month before, and it was the bane of his existence. His mother had brought it around to his apartment, insistent, part of her mission to get his father exercising more, and it had sat there, too large and fancy in the middle of Akaashi’s shabby living room, in front of his garage sale couch. Akaashi hardly needed it, but Kuroo had taken full advantage, inviting himself over to watch whatever shows he was into lately, people from their rec volleyball team cycling through to watch with them.

A few nights ago he had brought Iwaizumi, the two of them camping out in Akaashi’s living room to watch some rogue spy show, Akaashi observing quietly as he sat with his laptop. He didn’t mind, really, especially when Kuroo offered to bring food to make up for it. Oikawa had tagged along last night, and although Akaashi hated to admit it, he knew his way around the kitchen.

“You know,” Kuroo said, heaving himself up from the sidewalk. “I’ve never seen you watch something you like on that TV.”

Akaashi glanced back up at his balcony, his red towel fluttering in the slight breeze. Nobody was outside on the balconies right then, not next door to him or anywhere on this side of the apartments.

            “I watch it sometimes,” he said eventually, turning his back to the apartment complex. “We’re late, Kuroo.”

            Kuroo glanced over to where Akaashi had been looking, searching the balconies before turning back to Akaashi. “We’re on time,” he said easily, waving off his worries before running ahead, Akaashi sighing before taking off to catch up to him.

             They jogged together in silence for a bit, the gym coming into sight quickly, the entrance only a few blocks down from their apartment complex. It was still hot in the mornings even as September crept up on them, Akaashi wiping the sweat from his brow as they jogged down the sidewalk.

            “Who were you just looking for, by the way?” Kuroo said, wiping his face with the collar of his t-shirt.

            “What?” Kuroo gave him a look and he breathed out through his nose, wiping his hair off his forehead. “I don’t know what you mean,” he said, sounding slightly put-off.

            “Outside the apartments. You kept looking around like you were waiting for someone.”

            “It’s nobody.” They slowed to a stop outside the gym doors, Akaashi stretching an arm across his chest as Kuroo waited patiently. “I got a new neighbor the other day.”

            They pushed through the doors, Kuroo audibly exhaling as the air conditioning hit their faces. “Oh yeah?” he said, leading them to the locker rooms. “Was he—?”

            “Hey, hey!”

            As they entered the locker rooms someone was waving by the corner, pushing closer to them with a grin on his face. Akaashi stopped for a moment, raising his eyebrow at the coincidence.

            “Bokuto—” he said, the same time Kuroo lifted a palm, slapping Bokuto’s hand with a happy “Bro!”

             They all stopped for a moment, Kuroo looking at Akaashi quizzically. “How did you—?”

            “Akaashi, I didn’t think I would see you here!”

            Akaashi bit his lip, clasping his hands in front of him. “Hello, Bokuto,” he said, giving him a slight smile, turning to Kuroo when he felt him still staring. “My neighbor,” he clarified, shrugging as if he couldn’t help the coincidences piling up.

            “This had to be planned,” Kuroo said, laughing as he pulled Bokuto closer to pat him on the back.

            Akaashi tugged on his fingers, cracking the knuckles. “Not unless you did the planning,” he said quietly.

            Bokuto put a hand to his hip, raising the collar of his shirt up to wipe above his lip, looking from Akaashi to Kuroo with a smile on his face. “Are you here to play volleyball, Akaashi?”

            Akaashi’s eyes flicked to the volleyball shoes on Bokuto’s feet. “I am,” he said, looking back up to catch Bokuto’s eye.

            “I met Bokuto when he was moving in the other day,” Kuroo said, slapping a hand on his shoulder. “He said he played volleyball in high school so I invited him to come play with our rec team today.”

            A locker slammed from behind them and Oikawa sauntered over, his sneakers dangling from one hand. “A new player?” he said, poking his head into their circle. He smiled, holding his hand out for Bokuto, looking the picture of welcoming. “I’m Oikawa Tooru. Setter.”

            “Bokuto Koutarou.” Bokuto pumped his hand enthusiastically, flashing him a grin. “Wing spiker!”

            “Strong grip,” Oikawa said, his eye flicking to Bokuto’s arms before smiling again. “You could give Iwaizumi a run for his money.” He turned around, planting a hand on his hip as he leaned his weight on one leg. “Didja hear that, Iwa-chan?” he called. “Better practice extra hard.”

            “Shut up, Oikawa,” he said, slamming his locker closed before heading for the court.

            Oikawa turned back to them, shrugging good naturedly as he smiled again. “He’s just jealous.”

            “Oikawa, if you make me come over there—”

            “Oh, please don’t,” Tsukishima said, passing by on his way to the court.

            “Hey!” Kuroo gave them a wave goodbye before catching up to Tsukishima, crossing his arms as he moved to stand in front of him. “Are you fired up to be on my team today?”

            “Please move, Kuroo- _san_ —”

            Tsukishima weaved around Kuroo as he just stood there with a grin on his face, opening the doors out of the locker room.

            “Aren’t you going to respect your elders—”

            Their voices cut out, both of them disappearing from view as the door to the courts clicked shut behind them. Around them, everyone from the rec team was getting ready, calling out good morning, asking after work.

            Akaashi picked at his thumbnail, glancing at Bokuto, who was watching the room with a grin on his face.

            “I haven’t played with a team since I graduated college,” he said, turning back to Akaashi. His eyes were wide, excited, as he rubbed his hands together. “This is amazing.”

            Akaashi hummed in response, moving over to a bench to start untying his running sneakers.

            “What position do you play, huh?”

            Akaashi looked up to find Bokuto standing over him, one foot leaning on the bench.

            “Setter.”

            “Really?” Bokuto stood up straight, his hands held out in front of him in excitement. “That’s great!” He reached over, shaking Akaashi’s shoulder slightly, still beaming. “You’ll toss to me, right? Can I try your toss?”

            Akaashi nodded, Bokuto turning away when Kuroo stuck his head back inside the locker room, asking for him to come meet the rest of his team. He watched him go, still feeling Bokuto’s touch on his shoulder. When Bokuto got to the doors, he turned back around, finding Akaashi’s face in the crowd of the locker room.

            “Neighbors make the best teammates!” he called, before opening the doors, disappearing onto the court.

 

 

***

 

            “That was great!” Bokuto said, jumping on the sidewalk as they walked back to the apartments. “Did you see that spike that won the match?”

            “I almost blocked it too,” Kuroo said.

            Akaashi stuck his hands in his jacket pockets, walking ahead of the two of them on the sidewalk. They were almost back to the apartments, having said goodbye to everyone on the rec team outside the gym.

            “Maybe next time,” Bokuto said sympathetically, patting Kuroo on the back. Kuroo slapped his hand away, snickering when Bokuto shoved him back.

            Akaashi looked behind him for a moment, rolling his eyes and facing forward again. Someone walking their dog passed by, Akaashi moving over on the sidewalk, and Bokuto exclaimed, stopping to give it a pet.

            “She’s so cute,” he said, rubbing her ears as the owner smiled, moving on after a moment. “I wish I could have a dog.”

            “Then you have to walk it every day,” Kuroo said. “Cats don’t need the high maintenance.”

            “But that’s the fun!” Bokuto hitched his gym back higher on his shoulders. “What about you, Akaashi? Are you a dog person?”

            Akaashi stopped on the sidewalk, turning around slightly to face them as they caught up to him. “I’m not an anything kind of person.”

            “What kind of answer is that?”

            Akaashi ran his hands down the straps of his gym bag, thinking for a moment. “I like dogs better than cats,” he finally said.

            “That settles it,” Bokuto said. “Sorry, Kuroo.”

            Kuroo held his hands up, shrugging, and Akaashi smirked, turning around again to head back to the apartments.

 

           

 

***

 

            “Did you see that?”

            Akaashi placed a finger in his book, glancing up at Bokuto, laying on his hammock on his balcony. The sky was a bright blue, the air finally starting to cool off as August burned off into September. Akaashi sat cross-legged on his own balcony, his hair blowing in the breeze that rolled in once every so often, ruffling the pages of his book.

            Bokuto rolled onto his side, pointing just above the treetops across the highway, where a bird was fluttering across the blue sky.

            “Nice,” Akaashi said, stretching one leg out in front of him. The metal of the balcony still had some warmth from the heat of the afternoon, lulling Akaashi into a sense of placidity in the cool breeze as he leaned up against the outside of his apartment.

When he had stepped out into the balcony after work that day, he’d found Bokuto napping on his hammock, his arms flopping off the side as he dozed in the early-evening sunlight. Akaashi had taken his book with him, enjoying the quiet in the air, five stories above the city. He hadn’t even noticed Bokuto waking up, instead looking over one moment to see him scrolling through his phone, his hair wild above his head, quiet in the peace of the cloudless sky above them.

            He’d seen a lot of Bokuto since the volleyball match. Over the past four days, he’d run into him in the hallways, Bokuto calling out loud _hey_ s and a good day that had left Akaashi with dropped keys and high blood pressure on more than one occasion. But when Akaashi glanced over with a look and a _Bokuto-san, please calm down_ , he always grinned sheepishly, coming up to whisper exaggeratedly in a way that had Akaashi rolling his eyes, telling him to just go back to talking normally, please.  He didn’t use the balcony as often as Akaashi, but when he did, Akaashi found he didn’t mind the company.

            “It’s a bat,” Bokuto called, Akaashi looking over again to see Bokuto watching the sky with fascination.

            “How do you know?”

            “He flaps his wings a lot.”

            Bokuto put his head down on the hammock, eyes still on the treetops, his fingers tapping irregularly on his thighs. Akaashi watched the bat flutter around the trees, looping through the sky once before dipping out of sight. When he turned back to his book, Bokuto made a small noise of disappointment, Akaashi glancing over to see him now laying on his stomach, cheek resting on his arm.

            “Akaashi,” he said, sounding down as he continued to look over the treetops. Below them, a truck drove past on the highway, its wheels rattling on the graveled road. “Can we have pets in these apartments?”

            “You can’t keep a bat as a pet, Bokuto.”

            “I know that.” He kicked his feet against the hammock, sighing dramatically. Akaashi turned a page in his book while a story below them, two people sat on their small balcony, their voices drifting up to them in muted tones.

_Campfire effect_ , Akaashi thought, folding the top page of his book idly. When he was younger, his parents used to take him camping outside the city, showing Akaashi how to build a fire and roast marshmallows. After he’d crawled into the tent for the night, his parents would stay up, talking quietly around the campfire, their hushed tones lulling Akaashi to sleep. It was never loud enough for Akaashi to pick out individual words, just enough for him to feel safe, watched over as he drifted off alone in his sleeping bag. Now, he closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the lilting voices drifting up from below them.

“It’s just,” Bokuto said, when it was clear Akaashi wasn’t going to ask him what was wrong. “What if I wanted a dog?”

Akaashi turned another page in his book. “I don’t know if you can have pets or not, Bokuto.”

“You never wanted your own pet?”

Akaashi thought about it for a moment before shrugging. “No.”

“Akaashi.”

He looked over to see Bokuto had pushed himself up on his hammock, his hair disheveled as he gave him an incredulous look. “Not even a fish?”

“Those don’t count as pets.”

“A bird? An owl?”

“An owl?” Akaashi said.

“The point,” Bokuto said, shifting so he faced Akaashi, now sitting cross legged on his hammock. “Is that you never wanted a pet to keep you company? So you’re not always alone?”

Akaashi looked down at his book, running his fingers across the rusted metal of his balcony. Down below, he could still hear two people talking, their conversation soft as the evening wore on.

“No,” Akaashi said.

“I don’t believe you,” Bokuto said simply, flopping back down on his hammock. When Akaashi didn’t answer, he picked his head back up, glancing at him. “You really don’t?”

Through the kitchen window, Akaashi could hear his phone go off, the standard ring he hadn’t bothered to change when he’d first gotten his smartphone. Akaashi stood up, dusting a few rust flakes from the seat of his shorts. “Sorry,” he said, tucking his finger inside his book. “I have to take this.”

He ducked inside, one foot still resting on the balcony, when he stopped, considering Bokuto for a moment, who still sat up on his hammock, pouting slightly. “I never thought about having a pet,” he said finally, waving before climbing inside completely. He grabbed his phone from the kitchen bar, hovering by the window. After a moment, he moved away, keeping the window open, his conversation with Bokuto left open-ended, only a call away in the evening light.

 

 

 

***

 

 

Akaashi was sitting at the kitchen table when it happened, looking through the notes from his last night class. The light overhead flickered for a moment, spluttering, before everything shut down around him, the refrigerator kicking off, the central air chugging to a stop. The sudden silence was deafening.

He sat there for a moment, completely in the dark. Outside, the lights from the highway weren’t even on, the apartment complex eerily dark. Akaashi could barely make out his hand in front of his face, and he felt for his phone on the table, switching it to flashlight mode as he made his way over to the kitchen drawers to look for candles. Above his head, three tentative knocks sounded on the wall, Akaashi waiting for a moment before they sounded again.

He made his way to the kitchen window, and sure enough, when he stuck his head out, he could see Bokuto doing the same, using his phone flashlight to help himself crawl out onto the balcony.

“Akaashi,” Bokuto said, barely discernible in the weak moonlight. “Hey.”

“Hi.” He looked out at the highway below them, eerily dark, all the streetlights dead. Cars honked on the road below, unsure what to do in the sudden darkness. “Hold on.”

Akaashi pulled back from the window, heading to his bedroom, where his bed made it easier to climb outside. Their balconies were long but narrow, running across the whole length of the apartment, and Akaashi didn’t want to launch himself over the edge in the dark.

“Whoa,” Bokuto said, his voice close as Akaashi made his way unsteadily to the end of his balcony. “Weird, huh?”

They looked below them, at the complete black. The apartment complex was usually lit up all night long, the sky always tinged pink from the downtown lights, but tonight everything stood dark and lifeless. The trees across from them were a wall of black, impenetrable in the dark.

“What do you think happened?”

Akaashi shrugged, then remembered Bokuto couldn’t see it in the dark. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen everything out like this.”

“Hmm.” Akaashi could see the outline of Bokuto’s face in the moonlight, a grin on his face just like it had been the first time they’d met almost a week ago. “It’s kind of exciting, right?”

“I guess,” Akaashi said. He looked down again, feeling a bit of vertigo at the emptiness beneath them.

“Hey.” Bokuto shifted, the moonlight showing off his teeth for a moment before it was gone. “Wanna help me finish the beers in my fridge before they get warm?”

Akaashi gripped the railing, feeling a few flakes of rust break off underneath his fingers. It looked like this entire block of downtown was out, not coming back anytime soon. “Okay,” he found himself saying, looking up to search for Bokuto’s silhouette in the moonlight. “Sure.”

“Great!”

He climbed back through his window, something bumping from inside his apartment.

“Bokuto,” Akaashi said, the dark pressing against his eyes as he looked around. “Be careful.”

Bottles clinked and a flashlight beam passed quickly by Bokuto’s window, Bokuto emerging again with his phone sweeping an arc of light across his balcony, blinding in the pitch black. “I’m fine,” he said, holding a beer in each hand with a grin, his phone light swinging across Akaashi. “No worries.”

Akaashi held an arm up over his eyes, blocking out the blinding light, the echo of the flashlight still dancing across his vision even as Bokuto clicked it off. Everything was blacker than before, even the moonlight gone as his eyes tried to adjust rapidly to the change. A cold bottle was being pressed into his hand and Bokuto laughed, his hand closing over Akaashi’s to bring the bottle closer to the railing, popping the cap off with practiced fingers. Akaashi almost dropped the bottle, surprised at the roughness of Bokuto’s palm.

“Sorry,” he said, the pressure of his hand disappearing from around Akaashi’s. The sound of his own bottle cap fizzing off echoed in the dark. “Did I blind you?”

Akaashi blinked a few times and his vision cleared, Bokuto’s silhouette coming into focus as his eyes adjusted to the dark again. “Only temporarily.”

Bokuto laughed, his bottle clinking against the railing. Someone’s voice echoed into the night, shouting in surprise before fading back out again. Flashlights cut through the night, their arc swinging crazily against the black trees across from them.

“Sounds like the whole neighborhood is coming out, huh?”

Akaashi looked over, Bokuto’s beer bottle just catching in the moonlight as he held it out. They clinked bottles, downtown dark and empty underneath them as they stood above it all.

 

 

***

 

 

            “Okay,” Bokuto said, nudging Akaashi’s foot with his own. “Let’s play a game.”

            They sat with their backs to the wall of Akaashi’s apartment, facing the darkness in front of them. After they’d finished their first beer, Bokuto had gone back inside, grabbing the rest of his six-pack and coming through Akaashi’s apartment to sit beside him on the balcony, the both of them watching flashlights cut through the black of the night.

            Akaashi leaned his head against the wall, looking up at the dark clouds blowing across the sky. “A game?”

            “It’s called Truth.” Bokuto finished the rest of his second beer, setting it beside him with a clink as he shifted to face Akaashi. “One of us asks a question, and the other has to answer truthfully, or else, and then it’s the next person’s turn. Like Truth or Dare.”

            “Or else?” Akaashi said, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

            “Or else—you break the rules,” Bokuto said. “You lose. And you spoil the game for everyone else.”

            Akaashi looked at Bokuto’s silhouette, his finger tracing the rim of his bottle. “But how do we know the other is telling the truth?”

            “Why would we lie?” Bokuto asked, as if the thought had never occurred to him.

            Akaashi took a sip from his beer, placing the bottle back down softly on the balcony. “Alright. Let’s play.”

            “Great!” Bokuto sat up straighter, preparing himself. “You go first,” he said, nudging Akaashi with his elbow.

            Akaashi watched the arc of a flashlight swing across the trees, voices swelling below them for a moment. His mind was coming up blank. “What would you be doing if there wasn’t a blackout?  
            “That’s your question?” Bokuto said incredulously. “That’s too easy! You’re supposed to make it hard for me to tell the truth!”

            Akaashi breathed out through his nose, sighing slightly. “Just answer the question.”

            “But you could ask about anything. Like embarrassing moments. Or who I have a crush on.”

            “Alright. What’s your most embarrassing moment?”

            Bokuto clinked his bottle down on the balcony, huffing. “But you have to come up with your own question!”

            “There are a lot of rules being added on here,” Akaashi observed.

            “Akaashi!” Bokuto heaved a sigh, as if he were dealing with a toddler. “Okay. If there wasn’t a blackout, I would be watching TV.”

            “I think you’re lying,” Akaashi said.

            “What!” Bokuto’s silhouette shifted, his hands shaking Akaashi’s knee. “I’m telling the truth, come on Akaashi!”

            Akaashi smiled slightly, glad it was hidden in the dark. Bokuto’s hands felt warm in the slight chill of the night, steady in the black pressing around them. “Okay,” he finally said, shaking Bokuto off. “It’s your turn, then.”

            Bokuto sat back, humming slightly, Akaashi just making out a hand tapping his chin.

            “Why don’t you want a pet?” he said eventually.

            Akaashi pulled his knees to his chest, the question sounding familiar, thinking for a moment before he remembered the other evening on the balcony. He picked at the label on his beer bottle, head down. “I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t need one.”

            “But don’t you get lonely?”

            “Sometimes,” Akaashi said truthfully.

            “Then why don’t you need a pet? They could keep you company when you’re down.”

            Akaashi raised his head, looking over at Bokuto. “Is that why you want a dog?”

            “Well, yeah.” Bokuto leaned forward a bit, giving Akaashi the eerie feeling that he was reading his thoughts, even if he knew Bokuto probably couldn’t even see his face in the dark. “Moving is hard. I didn’t know anyone here.”

            A flashlight beam cut across the dark, flashing across Bokuto’s face for a moment, fleeting, before passing by, throwing them into darkness again. His eyes were wide, expression matter of fact, lips parted slightly. He looked more serious in that small moment than he ever had to Akaashi, his presence taking up more space.

            Akaashi looked away, down at the empty black beneath them. “Oh,” he said simply.

            “But you’re still a good neighbor,” Bokuto said sincerely. “Better than a dog!”

            Akaashi bit his lip against his smile, shaking his head. “Thanks, Bokuto.”

            “Yeah,” he said. He shifted again, bumping his beer bottle against the balcony. “Your turn to ask a Truth.”

            Akaashi let his head fall back against the wall, the two beers starting to make his limbs feel heavy, his head muted pleasantly in the pitch black. The dark below them didn’t feel as bottomless, Bokuto’s arm warm pressed up against his own.

            “Kuroo and everyone invited me out to the bars on Friday,” Akaashi said eventually, pausing as a car’s headlights crept down the highway in the distance, the only thing on the road. “Do you want to come?” he said, feeling Bokuto’s attention shift to him again.

            “To the bars? Is that your question?”

            The car’s headlights swung up as it hit a hill, illuminating their balcony for a moment. Bokuto had his legs out in front of him, grinning hugely as he faced Akaashi. “Yeah!” Bokuto said, the smile not leaving his face, even as the headlights moved past them, plunging them into darkness again.

 

 

***

 

            Akaashi stood in his kitchen, tapping his fingers against the bar as he looked around. There was still an hour left until Kuroo was going to come over to head to the bars, and Akaashi had already put away the dishes, wiped the counters, swept the floor. He tapped out an irregular beat on the counter, biting his lip before his feet carried him farther into the kitchen.

            From this close Akaashi could hear cupboards banging closed, the faucet running next door before stopping abruptly. He leaned against his own sink, Bokuto’s out-of-tune humming floating through the wall, dancing through the air before fading out, Bokuto’s footsteps sounding before disappearing farther into his apartment.

            After they had finished Bokuto’s beer during the blackout a few days ago, Akaashi had yawned, head leaning against the wall as he watched Bokuto’s silhouette stand up on the balcony.

            “We should head inside,” he’d said, sticking a hand out for him to take. “You probably have to get up early.”

            Akaashi had looked at him, slightly illuminated in the moonlight, his head against the cool wall of his apartment, still hugging his knees to his chest. “How did you know I wake up early?” he’d said, the third beer feeling slightly loose on his tongue.

            “Is that your next question?” Bokuto had said, laughing slightly in the dark. He shifted on his feet, the black of his silhouette moving against the night. “I hear your coffee maker going off in the morning.” He stuck out his hand, pulling Akaashi up on the balcony.

            “Sorry,” Akaashi had said, steadying himself. “Do I wake you up?”

            Bokuto shook his head, the movement hard to catch. “I’m an early riser. I’m usually already up.”

            Bokuto’s hand was still in Akaashi’s, feeling natural out in the dark, something to tether himself to on the empty balcony. An image skittered across Akaashi’s memory, of Bokuto looking at him, his expression serious, contemplating, before the light had moved past his face, plunging them into darkness again.

            Akaashi had held on to his hand even as he’d climbed through the window, only letting go when Bokuto pulled himself through, standing in his kitchen, even his silhouette now gone in the black of the apartment.

            “Well,” he’d said, his voice sounding light, friendly even in the blackout. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

            “Goodnight, Bokuto.”

            They walked to Akaashi’s door, Bokuto holding the light of his phone up to the knob when Akaashi fumbled in the dark. The door opened to even more black, stretching out down the hallway, seeming larger than life.

            Bokuto’s hand had brushed Akaashi’s again, his face smiling in the slightly blue light of his phone, Akaashi standing absolutely still.

            “I can’t wait for Friday,” he’d said, grinning one more time before he crossed through the door into the hallway, using his phone to let himself into his own apartment next door. Akaashi watched him go, the light disappearing as Bokuto closed his door.

            Now, Akaashi stood in his kitchen, Bokuto’s humming sounding again from the other side of the wall, getting louder for a moment before cutting off again. Akaashi tugged on his fingers, cracking every knuckle before he took a deep breath, trying to calm the feeling that was bubbling up inside his chest.

            It felt fragile, like something in the works, and Akaashi closed his eyes for a moment, taking another deep breath. The same feeling had been creeping up on him in the halls, as Bokuto greeted him as he was coming and going. When he popped his head onto the balcony, if only to say good morning or good night before retreating back to his own life. He felt like if he acknowledged it, if someone mentioned it, the bubble would burst, raining uncertainty down on what they’d built.

            And Bokuto had a knack for breaking through walls, plowing through and rearranging the pieces into something unrecognizable.

           

           

           

 

***

 

            “I don’t know about this.”

            Bokuto set his beer down on the table of the bar, looking around at the relative calm around them. Groups were scattered throughout the tables in the back, a slightly larger crowd hanging by the bar, quiet enough so that they could still hear the music playing overhead.

            “Don’t know about what?” Kuroo said, propping his chin in his hands. He had a mixed drink in front of him, still half-full, standing next to Bokuto at the table, looking out at the bar with disinterest. Iwaizumi stood by his side, scrolling through his phone, a mostly-empty beer in front of him.

            “This bar,” Bokuto said, throwing an arm out in a grand gesture. Kuroo turned around, hands on his hips as he surveyed the area, nodding as if he agreed with whatever Bokuto was saying.

            “I hear you,” he said.

            “Akaashi,” Bokuto said, Kuroo and Iwaizumi turning to look at Akaashi at the table. “Let’s play our game we started.”

            Akaashi made a noncommittal sound, turning slightly away from the table as he sipped his drink. He could feel Bokuto’s eyes on him, amplifying that feeling bubbling in his chest.

            “You started a game?” Iwaizumi said, him and Kuroo snickering as Akaashi pretended not to hear, finishing his drink and setting it on the table with more force than necessary.

            “Yeah,” Bokuto said, both hands gripping the table as he leaned in, excitement in his voice. “It’s called Truth.”

            “A game?” A warm hand leaned on Akaashi’s shoulder, Oikawa wriggling himself in between him and Iwaizumi at the table. “Count me in.”

            “How do you play?” Iwaizumi said, moving over slightly so Oikawa could have room to put his drink down.

            “Iwa-chan, you’ll play too?” Oikawa’s eyes lit up, taking a big sip of his drink before putting it down, the ice rattling in his glass.

            “It’s something to do,” he said, gesturing out at the sleepy bar.

            “I’m in,” Kuroo said, leaning his elbows on the table. They all looked at Akaashi, who sighed, nodding slightly for them to continue.

            “Hey, hey!” Bokuto picked up his beer, draining it before leaning closer over the table, looking them each in the eye in a faux-serious manor that had Kuroo snorting beside him. “Okay,” he said, his eyes resting on Akaashi, giving him a little grin before moving on to Oikawa. “The rules are simple…”

           

 

***

 

            “Now,” Bokuto said, perched on the edge of a bar stool. “It’s my turn to ask a question.”

            Oikawa flounced back from the bar, squeezing himself onto the same chair as Iwaizumi while still balancing his new drink in his hand.

            “Let her rip, Bo-chan.”

            They had been playing for a few rounds now, an hour going by as their table steadily got rowdier, laughter bursting around the room as they asked about high school crushes, first kisses, what they would do if they were a girl for a day. They’d ordered pitchers to their table, going through them steadily as the night went on.

            “So.” Bokuto drew up to his full height, running his hair behind both ears with mock charm. “If you could give me your best compliment, what would it be?”

            “Oh, no,” Oikawa knocked his drink onto the table, giving him a look. “You just want us to shower you in compliments.”

            “You’re just jealous you didn’t think of it first,” Kuroo said, laughing as he held a plastic cup of beer to his lips.

            Oikawa crossed his arms, pouting as his elbow knocked Iwaizumi in the gut.

            “You have a good straight spike,” Iwaizumi said, shoving Oikawa off the chair a bit, fighting for space.

            “And killer intuition,” Kuroo said.

            Akaashi glanced over at Bokuto, who had a big grin stretched across his face, basking in praise. He rolled his eyes, smiling slightly as he took another sip of his drink. He’d had more than he usually did, just like the rest of them, the easy chatter of the table making him feel loose, like he had on the balcony with Bokuto.

            Oikawa tapped his chin, a grin slowly spreading across his face. “And,” Oikawa finally said, leaning onto the table, his center of balance off, “you’re _really_ packing.”

            Kuroo and Iwaizumi burst out laughing, Iwaizumi shoving Oikawa on the chair a bit.

            “Huh.” Bokuto put his hands on his hips, contemplating for a moment. “Doesn’t that mean I have a really big dick?”

            “Eh?” Oikawa waved it away, ignoring Kuroo, who kept laughing. “No, nice arm muscles. You know. He’s packing big guns. So he’s packing…” Oikawa trailed off, leaning back in his chair in thought. “Guns,” he finally said. “Biceps.”

            Kuroo and Bokuto burst into fresh laughter, Iwaizumi just patting Oikawa on the shoulder in pity.

            “Akaashi,” Kuroo said as his laughter subsided. “You’re the only one left. I don’t know if you can top the last one.”

            “It’ll be hard,” Iwaizumi said dryly.

            Akaashi bit his lip, not trusting himself to say anything neutral. Bokuto was still leaning forward on his chair, giving him a wide grin.

            “Pass,” Akaashi finally said, looking away from Bokuto.

            “What!” Bokuto crossed his arms, Kuroo laughing as he looked between the two of them. “Come on Akaashi, give me a break!”

            “Yeah, Akaashi,” Kuroo echoed, grinning as his eyes slid from Bokuto back to him. “That’s not how the rules work.”

            “You just started playing tonight,” Akaashi said, rolling his eyes. “You’re not a rule expert.”

            “ _I_ am,” Bokuto said. “You can’t just pass a question!”

            “How about,” Kuroo said, smiling as he glanced at Akaashi. “If you don’t want to answer a question, you have to finish your drink?”

            “Yes!” Oikawa said. “Motion passed?”

            “Seconded,” Iwaizumi said.

            Akaashi gave them a look. “This is not a legislation.”

            “Too late,” Bokuto said. “Motion passed.”

            Kuroo took Akaashi’s cup from him, filling it up to the brim with the table’s pitcher before placing it back on the table, giving Akaashi a look. “You sure you don’t want to just answer the question? Final takebacks.”

            “No final takebacks,” Oikawa said, sitting up in his chair.

            “Brutal,” Iwaizumi said, Bokuto nodding in agreement.

            Akaashi just let out a breath, motioning for Kuroo to slide him back his cup. He closed his eyes, accepting where the night had taken him, before downing the beer quickly, slapping the cup back down on the table. The beer felt full in his stomach, the bubbles fizzing as they settled down, Akaashi feeling his head swim.

            “Wow,” Bokuto said. “I’m impressed.”

            “You should be offended he’d rather do that then give you a compliment,” Kuroo said.

            “Huh.” Bokuto crossed his arms, thinking about it for a moment. “I’m both impressed and offended.”

            “My turn next,” Kuroo said, rubbing his hands together. Bokuto threw Akaashi a grin before motioning for Kuroo to lean down, whispering something in his ear before sitting up again.

            “Okay,” Kuroo said, picking up his beer to take a sip. “By special request, if you could have any pet, what would it be?”

            Akaashi gave Bokuto a dead look across the table. “A grizzly bear. So it could murder Bokuto when he goes to sleep at night.”

            Iwaizumi snorted, beer shooting out of his nose. Kuroo hooted, turning to Bokuto with a hand over his mouth. 

            “Cheater!” Bokuto shouted, kicking back in his chair with a grin. “You have to tell the whole truth, you sore loser.”

            “Sounds like the truth to me, Bokuto,” Oikawa quipped, draining the rest of his drink. “Come on, Iwa-chan,” he said, getting up to gesture for him to follow. “Let’s go get another drink.”

            Iwaizumi stood up, saluting them before following Oikawa to the front of the bar. Kuroo watched them go, an easy smile fixed to his face.

            “I didn’t know pets were such a sore subject,” he said, turning back to Akaashi and Bokuto at the table.

            Akaashi leaned his arms on the table, his head swimming for a moment as he shook his head.

            “Akaashi said he doesn’t need a pet _at all_ ,” Bokuto said, leaning towards Kuroo. “He says he never gets lonely living alone.”

            They both turned to look at Akaashi, who was now resting his chin on his arms, picking at the label of someone’s empty beer bottle disinterestedly. He glanced up, shaking his head again. He could feel the ground tilt slightly as he did so and he stopped, furrowing his brow as he steadied himself.

            “I never said that,” he said.

            Kuroo and Bokuto looked back at each other, the both of them grinning.

            “I can’t see Akaashi with a dog,” Kuroo said, hand on his chin.

            “But, like. A fish?” Bokuto stopped for a moment, eyes to the ceiling. “Yeah,” he said after a pause, as if reassuring himself. “A fish is a good pet for Akaashi.”

            Kuroo looked at Akaashi, smirking before turning back to Bokuto. Akaashi ran his fingernails across the table, studiously ignoring them. “How so?”

            “They’re both kind of serious,” Bokuto said.

            “I don’t know,” Kuroo said. “A fish could never give you the feeling like its judging everything you say like Akaashi can.”

            They both snickered and Akaashi sat back in his chair with a huff, folding his arms.

            “I know,” Kuroo said, leaning toward Bokuto, lowering his voice. “He should get a lizard.”

            “Nothing says _I’m judging you_ like a lizard,” Bokuto said seriously, Kuroo snorting

            Akaashi stood up from the table, giving them another dead look. “You both sound like you have the brain capacity of a lizard,” he said, turning around to walk away.

            “See,” Bokuto whispered loudly from behind his back, sounding sincere. “He’s just like a lizard.”

            Akaashi headed towards the bar to look for Iwaizumi, Kuroo laughing behind him as he left. The room had filled up as they had sat at the table, Akaashi finding it hard to push past people, the din filling his ears, overwhelming his already muddled thoughts.

            He didn’t see Iwaizumi at the bar and he turned away, pushing through the backdoors to the alley behind the bar, the air instantly cool on his sticky skin. It was quieter out here, only a few people talking in small groups, and Akaashi’s head suddenly felt lighter, filled with more space.

            “Akaashi!” someone called, Akaashi looking over to find Oikawa waving to him slightly from down the alley. Iwaizumi stood next to him, cupping something in his hand to light, smoke curling above their heads. A few girls stood around them, turning to look at him as Oikawa waved again.

            Akaashi headed over to them, the sudden absence of a room full of people talking making him realize he was drunker than he planned to get.

            “Had enough of the idiot brigade?” Oikawa said as Akaashi drew up to them, turning to smile at the girls he was talking to. One of them smiled back, making room for Akaashi as he shrugged.

            “You sure you’re not talking about yourself?” Iwaizumi said, taking a drag before turning away, blowing smoke into the night air. The girls laughed, shaking their heads as Oikawa put a hand to his heart, brushing it off with a few words. One of them asked Oikawa a question and they were all listening, Akaashi stepping back from the circle a bit, letting the words wash over him.

            “Want a hit?” Iwaizumi asked, Akaashi taking the joint from his hands, filling his lungs before watching the smoke curl into the night air above them. He felt instantly light-headed, the ground tilting underneath him for a second, and he passed the joint back to Iwaizumi, who put it out and slipped it back into his pocket.

            “Do you think your neighbor will join the rec team every week?” Iwaizumi asked, scuffing the toe of his shoe on the pavement. “He’s really good.”

            Akaashi turned to Iwaizumi slowly, chasing the words Iwaizumi said to try to form the sentence back in his head. He put his hands in his pockets, shaking his head slightly. “Yeah,” he said, the word drawling in his ears.

            “I want to try a straight spike like that,” Iwaizumi said, sounding impressed. “It probably took a lot of training to get that good.”

            Akaashi hummed, dragging his head back to look at the stars. The ground tilted again as he looked up, and Akaashi closed his eyes for a second, willing it to go away. The black pressed in on his eyes and he blinked, suddenly realizing Iwaizumi had asked him a question, waiting patiently for Akaashi to respond.

            He took a deep breath, cursing in his head as he scuffed his shoe across the ground. He probably shouldn’t have smoked after drinking so much. It always made him feel more drunk than he was.

            “I’ll be right back,” Akaashi said, Iwaizumi watching him go as he turned away. The doors to the bar felt farther away, Akaashi concentrating on taking even steps to get him there.

             “See you later, Akaashi-chan!” Oikawa said from over his head, his voice sounding far away.

            When he got back inside he let out a breath, pushing more easily towards the back tables, Kuroo and Bokuto exactly where he had left them. Bokuto was bouncing a quarter into his beer cup, Kuroo turned in his chair to talk to Tsukishima standing behind him, who still had his jacket on, as if he had just walked in.

            “You blocked really well the other day,” Kuroo was saying, Tsukishima nodding almost imperceptibly, looking around the room. “You almost beat us.”

            “But I didn’t,” he said matter-of-factly.

            Bokuto bounced a quarter, which hit off the rim of his cup, spinning onto the table. “Understandable when you’re up against me,” Bokuto said, grinning hugely, leaning over Kuroo to talk. Tsukishima leaned back slightly, giving him a withering look.

            Akaashi came up to the table, steadying himself on the back of a chair, Tsukishima glancing over to give him a short wave.

            “I’ll see you next match,” he said distantly, turning around without saying goodbye. Kuroo turned in his chair, shaking his head at Bokuto before noticing Akaashi slipping into the chair opposite them.

            “Akaashi!” Bokuto said. “You’re back!”

            “Maybe we should try you on Tsukishima’s team next time,” Kuroo said to Akaashi. “Switch up the styles.” He paused when Akaashi just hummed, folding his arms on the tabletop and resting his head on his arms.

            “Akaashi, where did you run off to?” Bokuto said, coming around to sit next to him. “Do you want to play quarters with us, since you stink at playing Truth?”

            The room spun slightly when Akaashi closed his eyes, so he forced himself to sit up, kicking his feet out from his chair. “Bokuto, you can’t stink at a game where you only have to answer questions,” he said, feeling himself slur his words slightly.

            “I mean,” Bokuto said, patting Akaashi’s back in pity. “You can. And you do.” Kuroo nodded his head solemnly.

            “I only tell the truth,” he said, Bokuto’s hand feeling heavy on his back before he moved it away. “Even to you.”

            Kuroo looked at Akaashi, taking in his heavy, half-closed eyes, then glanced at Bokuto, snorting slightly. “How about we start heading back to the apartments, Akaashi?”

            Akaashi leaned his elbow back on the table, sighing as he propped his cheek on his hand. “Truthfully,” he said slowly, feeling the room swim in front of him again. “That would be best.”

            “Unbelievable,” Kuroo said, standing up to collect his jacket. “Even trashed, you’re still making fun of us.” He shook his head in mock pain.

            Bokuto laughed.

            “I’ll text Oikawa we’re leaving,” Kuroo said, digging around in his pocket while Akaashi stood up, gripping the edge of the table for a moment. They were out of the bar before Akaashi could register, the night air cool on his skin.

            “This is nice,” Akaashi said, the words slipping from his lips.

            Bokuto slipped his hands in his jacket pockets, matching his stride with Akaashi’s. “Oh yeah?” he said, looking over at him with a smile.

            Now that he was standing up, everything felt like it was passing by too quickly, his feet hitting the sidewalk before he expected them to be there. Bokuto held out his hand, Akaashi taking it quickly to right himself. He had a fleeting thought that he should probably let go, but Bokuto’s hand felt steady and safe. He held on, not looking at Kuroo, who walked ahead of them.

            “It feels like September,” Akaashi said eventually, trying to pick back up on their conversation.

            “Does September feel like being drunk to you?”

             “No,” Akaashi said crossly. “The air feels cooler like September.”

            Bokuto laughed again, tugging his hand, Akaashi surprised to find themselves in front of their apartment complex already. They walked up the stairs to the front door, Akaashi taking them quickly, reeling backwards as Kuroo stopped in front of him to buzz themselves in.

            They were out of the elevator and standing in front of Akaashi’s door before he knew it, his head buzzing along with the fluorescent lights overhead. He looked at Kuroo, and then at Bokuto, who was still holding onto his hand, the both of them watching him expectantly.

            “It’s locked,” Kuroo prompted.

            “Truthfully,” Akaashi said, patting his pockets with one clumsy hand, still clutching Bokuto’s with the other.  “I don’t have my keys.”

            Bokuto cracked up and Kuroo sighed, running his hand through his hair. “Did you have a jacket with you?”

            Akaashi thought about it for a moment, his mind crawling slowly. His thoughts kept wandering, Akaashi trying to trace his night back chronologically but failing. He usually brought his jacket with him, so he just nodded eventually.

            “I’ll call Tooru,” Kuroo said, taking out his phone.

            “I’ll get the door open!” Bokuto said, dropping Akaashi’s hand. He took Akaashi by the shoulders, shaking him slightly. “Stay here.”

            They both watched Bokuto let himself into his apartment, disappearing inside. Kuroo had his phone pressed against his ear, giving Akaashi a skeptical look. “How drunk is he _?”_

            Akaashi licked his lips, looking down to tug on his fingers. Distantly, he registered Kuroo talking on the phone, explaining the situation in low tones. _Campfire effect_ , Akaashi thought, leaning against the far wall and closing his eyes. The room started spinning again and he scrunched his nose, trying to make it go away.

            Akaashi’s doorknob rattled and when he opened his eyes, Bokuto was standing in the open doorway, grinning as he made room for Kuroo to pass.

            “Did you climb over your balcony railing?” Kuroo said incredulously, sliding his phone back into his pocket.

            “There’s only like, a foot distance between them,” Bokuto said proudly. Akaashi ignored them, slipping inside and onto the stool in front of his kitchen bar, putting his head down in his arms. He heard someone rummaging around in his kitchen, the faucet running for a moment, but he just buried his head deeper into his arms.

            “Iwaizumi said he’s on his way with Akaashi’s jacket,” he heard Kuroo say, his voice near his, something plunking down on the counter by Akaashi’s head. “Drink your water, Keij,” Kuroo said, slightly louder, putting a hand on his shoulder for a moment.

            “Not soothing,” Akaashi mumbled, turning his head to the side. “Too loud.”

            “Boohoo,” Kuroo said, hopping up onto the stool next to Akaashi. The floor took another dip and he squeezed his eyes shut, sliding his arms further over the counter.

            “I never did this,” Akaashi said, his words slow and slurred. “When you came home drunk.” He took a deep breath, letting it out in a long sigh. “Never too loud.”

            Kuroo snorted from beside him. “You may be quieter, Keij, but you are not soothing.”

            Bokuto laughed from somewhere in the kitchen, the faucet running again.

            Akaashi sighed, forcing himself to sit up. He gave Kuroo a death look, slowly picking his way to his feet. “I’m going to bed,” he said. “You don’t have to stay, I’m fine.”

            “You didn’t even drink any water,” Kuroo said, giving him an infuriating smile as he propped his chin up on one hand.

            Akaashi sighed extra loudly, making his way to his bedroom. His head didn’t spin as much if he was standing, he decided, as he tuned out whatever Kuroo was saying behind him.

            “I can stay and make sure he goes to sleep okay,” Bokuto said from the kitchen. “It’s fine, I’m just next door and you live downstairs.”

            Akaashi slipped into his bedroom, closing the door as he heard Kuroo’s voice, still too loud even in the hallway. He sat down on the edge of his bed as voices kept talking, pressing his lips together as his head continued to reel. The door to his apartment eventually slammed shut, jolting Akaashi out of his head, and he stood up, making his way back to the kitchen, if only to get rid of the spinning in his head.

            “Akaashi,” Bokuto said from the couch, as Akaashi shut his eyes against the overhead light, hand going to his forehead. “Are you okay?”

            He didn’t answer, just made his way back to the kitchen bar, sitting down in front of the glass of water left there.

            “Do you want to go to the bathroom? Sometimes it helps to just…get it out,” Bokuto said.

            Akaashi rubbed his eyes, shaking his head. The ground tilted again and he stopped, letting out a hiccup instead. “Can’t sleep,” he said, propping his head up on one hand. “Too much spinning.”

            Bokuto leaned over the back of the couch, his eyes watching Akaashi. “Want to sit on the couch, then? Gotta be more comfortable than a stool.”

            Akaashi hiccupped again, taking his water to go sit next to Bokuto, perching on the very edge of the couch as he finished the glass.

            “I’m sorry,” he said, leaning over to rest his forearms on his knees as he let out another hiccup. “You can go home.”

            “No, it’s okay. I wanna make sure you’re okay.” He paused, his voice close on the couch as Akaashi continued to lean over. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the bathroom?”

            The thought of getting up again made Akaashi’s stomach clench, and he rested his forehead on his arms.

            “Embarrassing,” Akaashi said, his voice muffled.

            “It’s okay,” Bokuto said, his hand resting on Akaashi’s back reassuringly.  “I’ve been there way too many times to count.”

            “Really,” Akaashi said flatly.

            “Oh, yeah,” Bokuto said, not picking up on his sarcasm. “I threw up in the middle of a pizza joint once.”

            Akaashi hiccupped. “Please don’t talk about throwing up.”

            “Sorry,” Bokuto said, his voice getting softer. He started rubbing Akaashi’s back, Akaashi closing his eyes, concentrating on the sensation.

            “Bokuto.” He kept rubbing circles against his back, his hand warm and steady. Akaashi breathed out, slowly shifting back on the couch. “I’m sorry I didn’t answer your Truth.”

            Bokuto laughed, still rubbing circles across his back, Akaashi relaxing into the touch, leaning gently against Bokuto’s shoulder. “You can make it up to me later for being such a big cheater.”

            Akaashi felt his breath evening out, relaxing against Bokuto’s side, Bokuto’s own chest rising and falling underneath him. A hand was still at his back, steady even as he fell asleep.

 

 

***

 

            A door slammed and Akaashi jerked awake, blinking in the dim of his living room. His kitchen light was still on, throwing everything in strange shadows as he shifted on his couch, his head feeling heavy as bricks.

            “Sorry,” somebody whispered, leaning over the back of the couch. “I was about to get going.”

            Akaashi pushed himself up, his jacket slipping off his shoulders as he blinked, taking in his surroundings. A trash can sat at the foot of the couch, Akaashi groaning as he pushed away thoughts of that night.

            “Iwaizumi just dropped off your jacket,” Bokuto said, too loudly, still leaning on the back of the couch. Akaashi buried his head in the cushions, sleep already pulling him back under. Hands were pulling his jacket back over his shoulders, Akaashi curling up underneath it, hugging his knees to his chest. He felt somebody move away from the couch, the door opening and closing again before he fell back asleep.

 

 

***

 

 

            Akaashi woke up the next morning to sunlight streaming through his kitchen window, his body feeling stiff and sore as he uncurled himself on the couch. He sat up, fighting a wave of nausea, head in his hands, before forcing himself to stand up, heading to the kitchen for water and coffee.

            As the coffeemaker was going he leaned against the sink, looking out at his kitchen. An extra glass was sitting on the edge of the counter, a bit of water still at the bottom, and Akaashi picked it up, pouring it slowly into the sink before crossing his arms, looking at the wall in front of him.

            He knocked tentatively, three times, then stood back. It was quiet for a few moments, Akaashi biting his lip, before another knock answered across the wall, quick and loud. He moved to the kitchen window and there was Bokuto, leaning out his own window and smiling.

            “How are you feeling?” he asked, the both of them climbing out onto the balcony.

            Akaashi looked down at the metal floor beneath his bare feet, shaking his head as he shrugged.

            “That bad, huh?”

            Bokuto crossed to the end of the balcony, climbing up swiftly and swinging a leg over onto Akaashi’s, hopping down lightly.

            “Is that how you got in last night?” Akaashi asked, finding himself looking up at Bokuto.

            “You remember that?”

            “I should start locking my windows.” Akaashi looked to the side, biting his lip before taking a breath. “I remember everything.” He glanced at Bokuto again, still worrying at the side of his lip. “I’m sorry. And thank you.”

            Bokuto waved it away, taking a step closer to him. “That’s what friends are for.”

            Akaashi nodded, crossing his arms across his chest. “You can ask me a Truth,” he said, glancing up at Bokuto. “For being…a big cheater.”

            Bokuto laughed. “Okay,” he said, taking a seat against the wall of Akaashi’s apartment. “I have to think of a good one. To make up for how much of a cheater you are.”

            Akaashi slid down next to him, giving him a look. “You can’t really cheat at this game, Bokuto.”

            “You chugged a full cup of beer instead of giving me a compliment!” he said, his voice teasing.

            “That’s only evading,” Akaashi said. “Not cheating.”

            “I don’t know what evading means, but it sounds an awful lot like cheating.”

            “Bokuto.” Akaashi ducked his head, hiding the smile on his lips. “Just ask me a question.”

            “Hmmmm.” Bokuto stretched his legs out in front of them, crossing his arms as he thought. Akaashi watched him, his facing looking contemplative in the morning light.

            “Okay,” he said, turning to catch Akaashi’s eye. “What’s your best memory?”

            “You’re not going to ask me to compliment you?” Akaashi said.

            “Not personal enough,” he said, waving his hand. “And it ended in a small disaster.”

            Akaashi let out a small laugh through his nose, turning to look out at the trees across from them. He tugged on his fingers, thinking for a moment, before voices floated up from one of the balconies below them, their tones soft and muted.

            “Campfires,” Akaashi said eventually, turning back to Bokuto.

            “Campfires?”

            Akaashi licked his lip, quiet for a moment. Bokuto’s hand was resting on the balcony between them and he picked it up, pulling it into his lap to inspect. His palm was big, callused, and he twisted it around in the sunlight, looking at the tiny cuts scattered across his skin. Bokuto was unusually quiet as Akaashi did this, so still he could have been holding his breath.

            “When I was little,” Akaashi said finally, still looking at Bokuto’s palm. “My parents took me camping a lot. When I would go to sleep alone, they would stay up and talk around the campfire. Not loud enough to keep me up, and I could never make out the words. I fell asleep to that sound a lot.”

            “And that’s your favorite memory? That’s so cute. Little Akaashi.”

            Akaashi squeezed a cut on Bokuto’s ring finger and he flinched, looking over at him. Akaashi kept his eyes down on his hand.

            “Akaashi, _ow_ ,” he said, not moving his hand.

            “You have a lot of cuts on your hand.”

            “That one was from cutting peppers. My knife slipped.”

            Akaashi twisted his palm over and Bokuto clenched his fist, a white scar visible on his knuckles.

            “Do you have stories for all your cuts?”

            “I don’t even remember half of them.”

            Akaashi glanced up at Bokuto, searching his eyes for a second before looking back down at his lap. He pulled Bokuto’s fingers out of their fist, smoothing them out straight before resting his palm against Bokuto’s, measuring the difference in size. He remembered Bokuto’s hand against his back, lulling him to sleep on the couch, pulling him closer against him.

            “I’m sorry about last night,” he said softly.

            “Don’t be.” Bokuto shifted on the balcony, his hand sliding across Akaashi’s palm for a moment. “When Kuroo gets worried about you he calls you Keij,” he said, Akaashi looking up to find Bokuto grinning. “Kind of cute.”

            “That’s not cute,” Akaashi said crossly. “And he wasn’t worried.”

            “He walked you home, convinced Iwaizumi to bring you your jacket, and stayed to make sure you didn’t die in your own apartment.” Bokuto laughed, pausing for a second. “And I think he even poured a glass of water for you,” he added as an afterthought.

            “That’s only because he’s usually the one drunk,” Akaashi said.

            “Really?”

            “Him and Oikawa.”

            Bokuto laughed, his hand closing over Akaashi’s. “I can see that.”

            They sat like that for a few moments, looking out over the balcony, Bokuto’s hand slightly sweaty in Akaashi’s.

            “I have to go to work,” Bokuto said eventually, his voice softer than usual. He glanced at Akaashi, letting go of his hand to shake his knee before standing up. “Feel better.”

            “Go through my window,” Akaashi said, not moving from his seat on the balcony.

            Bokuto grinned. “Are you worried about me climbing over the balcony?”

            “Yes.”

            A smile spread across Bokuto’s face, his eyes lighting up before he was gone, ducking through the window and disappearing from the balcony. Akaashi let his head rest against the wall, breathing out slowly as he sat there, convincing himself that the butterflies in his stomach was just the hangover.

           

           

 

            ***

 

 

            Akaashi laid on his balcony, staring up at the dark skies as rain fell down gently. He had his arms spread out, just letting the rain fall, the balcony cold underneath his back.

            It had been a few days since they’d gone to the bars, Akaashi going to work as usual, running into Bokuto in the hallway, but only in passing. He had just gotten out of one of his grad school classes, climbing out onto the balcony with his raincoat still on, not caring about the drizzle as he tried to relax after a long lecture.

            A window slid open and Akaashi glanced over, Bokuto sticking his head out over the balcony.

            “What are you doing out here in the rain, Akaashi?” he said, climbing out.

            “Laying here,” he said.

            “This is why you need a pet.”

            Something skidded across wet metal and Akaashi leaned up on one hand, turning around to find Bokuto climbing up on his railing.

            “Bokuto, not in the _rain_ —”

            Bokuto hopped over onto Akaashi’s balcony, grinning as he came closer. Akaashi sighed, laying back down on the balcony, letting the rain sprinkle over his face. Bokuto crouched down, laying down next to Akaashi, wriggling until he could squeeze himself into the small space between Akaashi and the railing.

            “You worry about me,” Bokuto said, turning to face him as they lay there.

            Akaashi bent one knee, turning his head to catch his gaze. Rain dripped down his neck, running into the collar of his shirt. “Is that okay?” he said softly.

            “Sometimes I worry about you,” Bokuto said teasingly. He leaned up on one elbow, his body facing Akaashi.

            “Only sometimes,” Akaashi murmured, looking up at Bokuto. The rain pattered softly around them, the world sounding muted under the grey skies.

            Bokuto reached out, resting one hand on his cheek, the calluses rough across his skin, Bokuto’s thumb stroking his jaw gently. That feeling bubbled in Akaashi’s chest again, and he didn’t have a hangover to blame, instead parting his lips, holding still as he lay on the balcony, looking up at Bokuto and the grey skies and the rain. Bokuto leaned down, kissing him softly, Akaashi’s eyes drifting closed as he reached up, letting his hand rest cupped against Bokuto’s neck.

            Bokuto pulled away slightly and Akaashi kept his eyes closed, feeling the drizzle against his skin. Lips pressed against his again, kissing him slowly, surprisingly soft and tentative. Bokuto pulled away again and Akaashi breathed out, following him back up, kissing him back as he sat up.

            “I love the rain,” Bokuto said, grinning when Akaashi pulled away. Akaashi tilted his head back, looking up at the sky as it continued to drizzle, then pulled the hood of his raincoat up over his head. He slid his hands to cup just below Bokuto’s jaw on either side, his thumbs running softly over Bokuto’s cheeks as he pulled him closer, giving him another kiss.

            “The rain is nice,” Akaashi said, sitting back on his heels.

            Bokuto laughed, grabbing the sides of Akaashi’s hood to pull him into a kiss again.

           

 

 

***

 

 

            A knock sounded from Akaashi’s door and he stood up, leaving his textbook open on the coffee table.

            “Bokuto,” Akaashi said, opening the door to find him standing there, hands behind his back.

            “Akaashi,” Bokuto said. “I was just walking by…when I saw your door.”

            Akaashi bit his lip, trying to keep the amusement off his face. “Oh?”

            “And I thought I would come say hi.” Bokuto pressed his lips together, shifting from foot to foot, and Akaashi took pity on him, standing back to let him in.

            They headed to the couch, Bokuto lagging behind, hiding whatever was behind his back as they sat down. Bokuto licked his lips, looking excited.

            “How are you, Bokuto?”

            Bokuto grinned, sitting up straighter on the couch. “Akaashi, I got you something.”

            “You did?”

            Bokuto pulled something from behind his back, holding them out as Akaashi took them tentatively, looking down at them. He held two small candles, one light brown and the other a deep blue, and Akaashi stared down at them, spinning them slightly in his hands.

            “Bokuto,” he said. “You didn’t have to.”

            Bokuto was watching Akaashi, his eyes lit up. “Did you read the scents?”

            Akaashi held up the labels, one advertising a campfire and the other the scent of rain. He looked up at Bokuto, his lips parted slightly. “I—”

            “They’re your favorite memories,” Bokuto said excitedly. “I saw them at the grocery store and I had to get them.” He pointed, grinning up at Akaashi. “This one is for your campfire from when you were little,” he said, tapping the brown candle. “And this one is rain. For—yesterday.” Bokuto bit his lip, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “If you wanted to remember that.”

            Akaashi looked down at the candles, feeling a lump rise in his throat. He set them down carefully on the coffee table, turning back to a slightly worried looking Bokuto.

            “Bokuto,” he said again.

            “If you don’t like them I can return them no problem—”

            Akaashi threw his arms around Bokuto’s neck, holding on tight. After a few moments, Bokuto’s arms came around his waist tentatively, pulling him closer when Akaashi buried his nose against his neck.

            “I love it,” Akaashi said softly, closing his eyes as Bokuto held him tighter. He ran his hand up his back, rubbing small circles, and Akaashi felt safe, steady under Bokuto’s touch.

           

**Author's Note:**

> can't believe i wrote 11.5k words of cliche fanfic tropes for writing practice
> 
> my tumblr is korramynaga


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